The Nutcracker
The Royal Ballet

Venue: Royal Opera House, Main Stage
Location: London
Date: 18 January 2012 19:30
Running time: 2 hours 18 minutes - including 1 Interval

Generous philanthropic support from
Mr & Mrs Tony Pidgley

Additional generous support by
the Friends of Covent Garden

Background
A magician with secrets, an enchanted gift, a guiding angel and a journey to the Kingdom of Sweets. The seasonal favourite The Nutcracker draws on all the imagination and fantasy of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story of Christmas Eve, when young Clara creeps downstairs for one of her presents, but finds herself instead at the start of a night of magical adventures. The designs for this now-classic Royal Ballet production re-create a 19thcentury image of Christmas, including the decorated tree that magically grows and the toy soldiers that come to life to fight the Mouse King. The beautifully coloured imaginings of the fantasy Sugar Garden and its celebratory dances make a fabulous contrast – the Sugar Plum Fairy is just one of the delights you will discover here – and Peter Wright’s production tells the story clearly from its mysterious start to its happy conclusion. Tchaikovsky’s music is some of the most instantly memorable in all ballet, with a wealth of famous melodies, conducted here by Barry Wordsworth, Music Director of The Royal Ballet, and Dominic Grier. The Nutcracker is classical ballet at its most approachable and visually entrancing, with something for everyone to enjoy, from the youngest in the family to the oldest – a Christmas present that brings a special magic each year it returns.

Credits

Music
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

Choreography
Peter Wright
Lev Ivanov

Production and scenario
Peter Wright

Designs
Julia Trevelyan Oman

Lighting design
Mark Henderson

Production Consultant
Roland John Wiley

Staging
Christopher Carr

Performers

Casting is subject to alteration.

Conductor
Barry Wordsworth
Dominic Grier

The Sugar Plum Fairy
Sarah Lamb
Marianela Nuñez
Laura Morera
Hikaru Kobayashi
Akane Takada
Melissa Hamilton
Alina Cojocaru
Roberta Marquez
Yuhui Choe

The Prince
Thiago Soares
Nehemiah Kish
Federico Bonelli
Valeri Hristov
Dawid Trzensimiech
Sergei Polunin
Johan Kobborg
Steven McRae

Clara
Iohna Loots
Elizabeth Harrod
Emma Maguire
Meaghan Grace Hinkis
Leanne Cope
Sabina Westcombe

Hans Peter / The Nutcracker
Ricardo Cervera
Paul Kay
Alexander Campbell
Ludovic Ondiviela
James Hay

Herr Drosselmeyer
Will Tuckett
Gary Avis
Christopher Saunders
Alastair Marriott

Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

http://www.roh.org.uk

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Interview: Behind the Scenes of The Nutcracker

Interview: The music of Wolfgang Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro

Interview: Sir Thomas Allen - Performing different roles at the Royal Opera House

Trailer: Romeo and Juliet

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Trailer: Cosí fan tutte

Insights: Antonio Pappano presents Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

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Trailer: La traviata

Interview: Ailyn Pérez on La traviata

Insights: Degas Dancers

Insights: Antonio Pappano presents Suor Angelica

Insights: Antonio Pappano presents Il tabarro

Interview: Eglise Gutiérrez on La sonnambula

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